Broken Pieces
by Not-so-secret-mermaid
Summary: All they could see of the other were the broken pieces and all they could think about doing was putting the pieces back together.


They were both focused on fixing the broken pieces of the other. John was tending to all the wounds on Sherlock and Sherlock was always making sure to be touching John so as to reassure him that he was really there. They hadn't spoken in several hours other than John telling Sherlock how to move so he could get to different injuries. They were both lost in thought while John sewed a cut on Sherlock's ribs and Sherlock's arm was draped across John's back "so that John could make the sutures", but they both knew it was really there as a reassurance.

"He was going to kill you, John."

John closed his eyes and clenched his fists. "Well that would have been nice to know before you threw yourself off a building and made me think you were dead!" his words grew louder until he was shouting.

Sherlock turned to look at him with an expression John had never seen before. Then his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed, distantly hearing John shouting his name.

He awoke sometime later to feel fingers combing through his hair. He blinked blearily awake and turned his head up to notice that his head was in John's lap.

"I checked your vital signs to make sure you were alright. You must have passed out from sheer exhaustion. When was the last time you slept?" John said. Sherlock chuckled in response and John cocked his head.

"What's so funny?"

Sherlock smiled, "It's just like before; you asking me when I've last slept or eaten or functioned like a normal human being."

John smiled back and soon they were both laughing almost hysterically, needing to have some kind of tension release. John leaned down and kissed Sherlock's forehead. "God I missed you." he said.

Sherlock closed his eyes and murmured back, "I was lost without my blogger." and intertwined his hand with John's free hand. Then he drifted back off to sleep, too relaxed and exhausted to stay awake much longer.

He reawoke in the same position as before. "Well I guess you know how to make me sleep now." Sherlock muttered. John chuckled and folded up the newspaper he had been reading.

"I'll keep that in mind. I know you haven't eaten in a while so now that you've slept, it's time for you to eat." he replied. "What would you like?"

Sherlock thought about it before saying, "I don't care, you choose something." Then he pulled himself off the couch and walked into his room to change into clothes that weren't ruined.

When John returned with Italian food they sat in their favorite chairs to eat while watching the telly. Sherlock finished his food then went into his classic thinking pose with his eyes closed. John glanced over and snorted.

"What could you possibly be thinking about? You've only just got back!" he said.

Sherlock peeled his eyes open and answered, "Emotions." John blinked in response and repeated what Sherlock had just said as a question.

"Yes, for example," and he lunged out of his chair to John's and stood so that he was leaning over John with his hands on each armrest, "your pupils are dilated."

"Yes I imagine they would be. Now come here you git." and he pulled Sherlock down by the front of his shirt to kiss him. The kiss deepened and John slid his hands up into Sherlock's hair to hold him close. They kissed for several moments before coming up for air. Sherlock leaned his forehead against John's and the simply sat there breathing together. Then John pressed a small kiss on Sherlock and made to stand up.

He gathered up all the dishes and trash from their dinner and took it into the kitchen. When he walked back into the sitting room Sherlock was settled back in his thinking position and John gave him space to figure out what had just happened.

They stayed in the sitting room for a few more hours just enjoying each other's company. When it was getting late Sherlock was wandering his own mind again and John decided to go to bed.

As John began walking to his bedroom he called back over his shoulder, "I'm going to bed now. Goodnight." Sherlock hummed in reply, but stayed where he was. John frowned, a little disappointed that Sherlock didn't pick up or acknowledge his hint, but continued to his bedroom.

Later John woke up to his bed shifting as if another person was climbing into it.

"Sherlock what are you doing?" he asked. Then he glanced at the clock. "It's two in the morning!"

"I'm going to sleep with you." He caught John's look and shook his head, "Not like that. I mean actually sleep."

John flipped back onto his side. "Well then get over here already." he mumbled and grabbed Sherlock's hand to pull him close so that they were spooning. They said goodnight to each other and quickly fell asleep.

A few hours later Sherlock awoke to John struggling in his arms and crying out. He started shaking him and yelling John's name. He finally got him to wake up and John looked around wildly. When he finally noticed Sherlock in the bed next to him he curled into Sherlock's chest.

"You were falling over and over and over again and there was nothing I could do this time either. But you never got rushed away. You just lay there and I couldn't help and nobody else was around to help. Then I look up and Moriarty is looking over the edge of the building pointing and laughing like a kid on Christmas. I couldn't even be comforted by the fact that you had stopped him. You were dead and he was still alive. And there was nothing I could do about any of it."

Sherlock wrapped his arms tightly around John, "Well I'm here now and Moriarty's dead and that's all that matters." He continued holding John until the shaking stopped and John slowly fell back asleep. Then he went back to sleep too.

Sherlock again woke up to fingers carding through his hair and his head resting on John's chest. This time however he and John were cuddled as close as possible under the covers and Sherlock had his arms wrapped tightly around John's waist. John noticed he was awake and said, "I was hoping to keep you asleep longer with my new found trick. I guess it works because it's ten o'clock in the morning and you would usually have woken up long ago."

Sherlock hummed sleepily and moved impossibly closer to John. "How are you?" he mumbled.

John started slightly at Sherlock actually asking how another person was then answered back, "Better now, thanks for asking."

"Good." Sherlock mumbled. "I'm sorry for the being the cause of it. It's entirely my fault. You already had Afghanistan to cause bad enough memories; you didn't need me adding to that mess." All of this he said to John's chest without once looking up.

John continued combing through Sherlock's hair and said, "Don't blame yourself Sherlock. It's not like you knew it was going to happen."

Sherlock shook his head and replied, "I should have." John rolled his eyes and pressed a kiss to the top of Sherlock's head. He tried to remove himself from Sherlock's arms so that he could get out of bed but Sherlock refused to let go.

"Comfortable, John."

John chuckled, "Yeah well I want breakfast so let go." Sherlock reluctantly let go then sat up, grabbed his dressing gown and left the room. John shook his head and laughed at Sherlock's antics then followed him out of the room.

Life continued on as usual in 221B, though Sherlock and John were much closer now in many different ways. Sherlock revealed himself to the rest of the world and went back to being the world's only consulting detective with his blogger at his side. Of course he had to fake his death a few times after that, but he always made sure to drag John down with him.


End file.
